Key-entry system

Claim 2

A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit in which the data circulates in a closed path; circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of the data keys, data is put into position In the circulating data in said storage unit; and selectively controlled means for rendering ineffective the data provided in said circulating storage system by actuation of one or more of said data keys so that corrected data can be entered in place of data originally provided in said storage unit by said data keys, said system including means for writing keyboard flag bits in the data circulating in said data storage unit, said circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit also being effective for erasing one of said flag bits for each of the data keys as it is actuated, said selectively controlled means including circuitry effective for rewriting the flag bits so as to render ineffective the data provided by actuation of one or more of said data keys, said selectively controlled means including means for scanning the data circulating through said data storage unit to determine the position of the first keyboard flag bit so as to thereby determine in which position a keyboard flag is to be so rewritten, said data storage unit including a magnetostrictive delay line and a shift register connected in series, and said scanning means including circuitry for determining the existence or nonexistence of a bit in a certain position in said shift register at a certain time.

Claim 3

A key-entry system according to claim 1, said keyboard also including a space key, said system including also a column indicator and controlling circuitry therefor so that the column indicator indicates visually the successive number of actuations of said keys.

Claim 4

A key-entry system according to claim 2, and including a register for storing the digit indicated visually by said column indicator and including also a column counter indicative of the position of any particular column of data circulating through said storage unit, said selectively controlled means including also means for updating said register and column counter and including also column counter compare logic for comparing the contents of said column counter and said register for ending the updating of said register and column counter so that said column indicator indicates the column to which the system has been backdated by rendering certain data ineffective as mentioned.

Claim 5

A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit; circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of a succession of the data keys, data is put into a first and successive positions in said storage unit; and a record erase control effective on said circuitry in the storage unit so that, upon a stroke of the record erase control, the key-entry system returns to its original condition prior to the actuation of any of said data keys and data is entered into said first position of said storage unit due to the next actuation of one of said data keys.

Claim 6

A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit; circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of a succession of the data keys, data is put into a first and successive positions in said storage unit; and a record erase control effective on said circuitry in the storage unit so that, upon a stroke of the record erase control, the key-entry system returns to its original condition prior to the actuation of any of said data keys and data is entered into said first position of said storage unit due to the next actuation of one of said data keys.

Claim 7

A key-entry system according to claim 4, and including means for writing keyboard flag bits in successive positions of said data storage unit, said circuitry being arranged to erase the corresponding flag bit in each of said positions of said storage unit as data is entered into the particular position of said storage unit by actuation of one of said data keys, said record erase control being effective on said means for writing keyboard flag bits so as to rewrite keyboard flag bits in each of said positions from which the flag bits have been erased due to entry of data therein so as to put the key-entry system back to its original condition.

Claim 8

A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit; circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of a succession of said data keys, data is put into successive positions in said storage unit, one of said positions of said storage unit being adapted to contain a marker bit; and a control effective on said circuitry for rendering ineffective the data provided in the posiTions of said storage unit subsequent to the position of the storage unit containing said marker bit for thereby putting the key-entry system back in its condition in which the actuation of a said data key will cause the entry of data in the next following position of said storage unit subsequent to that containing said marker bit.

Claim 9

A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit; circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of a succession of said data keys, data is put into successive positions in said storage unit, one of said positions of said storage unit being adapted to contain a marker bit; and a control effective on said circuitry for rendering ineffective the data provided in the posiTions of said storage unit subsequent to the position of the storage unit containing said marker bit for thereby putting the key-entry system back in its condition in which the actuation of a said data key will cause the entry of data in the next following position of said storage unit subsequent to that containing said marker bit.

Claim 10

A key-entry system according to claim 6, and including means for writing keyboard flag bits in said storage positions in said data storage unit, said circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit being effective for erasing the corresponding keyboard flag bit in the storage position in said storage unit into which data is entered upon actuation of each of said data keys, said control being effective on said means for writing keyboard flag bits so as to cause the flag bits to be reinserted into said positions in said storage unit following the storage unit position containing said marker bit.

Claim 11

A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit; circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of a succession of said data keys, data is put into successive positions in said storage unit, said data keys including a space key which when actuated causes no data to be entered into the storage position in said storage unit corresponding to the space key and which is connected to said circuitry to cause the key-entry system to be updated so that the following actuation of any of the other data keys causes data to be entered into the next successive storage position which corresponds to the last-mentioned other data key; and a control effective on said circuitry for effectively returning the condition of the key-entry system to its condition in which data will be entered into the storage position of said storage unit just following the position of the storage unit in which no data has been entered due to actuation of said space key.

Claim 12

A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit; circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of a succession of said data keys, data is put into successive positions in said storage unit, said data keys including a space key which when actuated causes no data to be entered into the storage position in said storage unit corresponding to the space key and which is connected to said circuitry to cause the key-entry system to be updated so that the following actuation of any of the other data keys causes data to be entered into the next successive storage position which corresponds to the last-mentioned other data key; and a control effective on said circuitry for effectively returning the condition of the key-entry system to its condition in which data will be entered into the storage position of said storage unit just following the position of the storage unit in which no data has been entered due to actuation of said space key.

Claim 13

A key-entry system according to claim 8, and including means for writing keyboard flag bits in said storage positions of said data storage unit, said circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit being effective for erasing the keyboard flag bits in the positions of said storage unit into which data is entered upon actuation of said data keys, said control being effectively connected with said means for writing keyboard flag bits so as to rewrite flag bits in the particular ones of said positions in said storage unit in which data has been previously entered by actuation of data keys and which follow the position of said storage unit containing no data by virtue of actuation of said space key.

Claim 14

A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit; means for writing keyboard flag bits in successive column positions in said data storage unit; circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of a data key, data is entered into a column position in the storage unit which contains a keyboard flag bit, said circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit being effective for erasing the keyboard flag bit in the column in said storage unit for the data key which is actuated; and selectively controlled means for rendering ineffective the data in said storage unit due to prior actuation of one or more of said data keys back to a certain preceding column position so that data can be entered in place of data due to actuation of said one or more data keys and including circuitry effective for rewriting the flag bits for said columns of data to be replaced so as to render ineffective the data provided by actuation of said one or more data keys. 11 A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit including a delay line and a shift register connected in a loop in which the data circulates in a closed path; means for writing keyboard flAg bits in column positions in the data circulating in the data storage unit and circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of said data keys, data is entered into successive column positions in the circulating data containing keyboard flag bits, said circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit being effective for erasing the corresponding keyboard flag bit in the data column circulating in said path for the data key which is actuated; and selectively controlled means for rendering ineffective the data circulating in said loop due to prior actuation of one or more of said data keys back to a certain preceding column position in the circulating data so that data can be entered in place of data originally circulating in said loop due to actuation of said one or more data keys and including circuitry effective for rewriting the flag bits for said columns of data to be replaced so as to render ineffective the data provided by actuation of said one or more data keys.

Claim 15

A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit; means for writing keyboard flag bits in successive column positions in said data storage unit; circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of a data key, data is entered into a column position in the storage unit which contains a keyboard flag bit, said circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit being effective for erasing the keyboard flag bit in the column in said storage unit for the data key which is actuated; and selectively controlled means for rendering ineffective the data in said storage unit due to prior actuation of one or more of said data keys back to a certain preceding column position so that data can be entered in place of data due to actuation of said one or more data keys and including circuitry effective for rewriting the flag bits for said columns of data to be replaced so as to render ineffective the data provided by actuation of said one or more data keys. 11 A key-entry system including: a keyboard having a plurality of data keys; a data storage unit including a delay line and a shift register connected in a loop in which the data circulates in a closed path; means for writing keyboard flAg bits in column positions in the data circulating in the data storage unit and circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit so that, upon actuation of said data keys, data is entered into successive column positions in the circulating data containing keyboard flag bits, said circuitry connecting said data keys and said storage unit being effective for erasing the corresponding keyboard flag bit in the data column circulating in said path for the data key which is actuated; and selectively controlled means for rendering ineffective the data circulating in said loop due to prior actuation of one or more of said data keys back to a certain preceding column position in the circulating data so that data can be entered in place of data originally circulating in said loop due to actuation of said one or more data keys and including circuitry effective for rewriting the flag bits for said columns of data to be replaced so as to render ineffective the data provided by actuation of said one or more data keys.

Claim 16

A key-entry system according to claim 11, said selectively controlled means including means for scanning the data circulating in the data storage unit for the first keyboard flag and means for writing a keyboard flag in the column of circulating data just preceding the column in which the first keyboard flag is located for thereby effectively backspacing the key-entry system for one column.

Claim 17

A key-entry system according to claim 12, said scanning means for locating the first keyboard flag including an AND circuit which is connected to one of the sections of said shift register to determine if the keyboard flag bit is present at a particular time in this section of the register.

Claim 18

A key-entry system according to claim 13, said means for rewriting a keyboard flag in the preceding column including a register for containing the number of the column in which the key-entry system is presently operating, a column counter under clock control synchronized with the flow of data in said storage unit, compare logic for comparing the contents of said register and said column counter, a latch which is changed in state on the satisfying of said AND circuit by a keyboard flag, and an AND circuit responsive to the output of said compare logic and said latch for rewriting a keyboard flag in the column of the data circulating through the data storage unit for the preceding column to which a backspace is made.

Claim 19

A key-entry system according to claim 11, said selectively controlled means being so arranged as to cause said keyboard flag writing means to be effective for all of the columns of data circulating in said data storage unit so that the key-entry system effectively put into its first column condition wherein the actuation of a data key provides data in the first column position of the data circulating through the data storage unit.

Claim 20

A key-entry system according to claim 11, said data storage unit being capable of carrying marker bits in the column positions of the circulating data designating the ends and beginnings of fields of data circulating in the data storage unit and said selectively controlled means being under the control of said marker bits for rendering ineffective data circulating in said loop back to a certain preceding column position determined by one of said marker bits.

Claim 21

A key-entry system according to claim 16, said selectively controlled means including an AND circuit connected with a certain position of said shift register for scanning data passing through said register for the absence of a keyboard flag in the first column of a field of data circulating through said shift register.

Claim 22

A key-entry system according to claim 17, and further including a register connected with a column counter under clock control synchronized with the flow of data in said storage unit and being under the control of said AND circuit so that the AND circuit when satisfied causes a transfer of an address to said register from said column counter for each first column of a field of data circulating through said data storage unit, and comparison logic for sensing a compare between said counter and said register and controlling said means for writing keyboard flag bits so as to write said flag bits into the data circulating through said data storage unit subsequent to the column of data for which the comparison occurred.

Claim 23

A key-entry system according to claim 11, said selectively controlled means including a register having no data contents and comparison logic for comparing the data circulating in said data storage unit for locating a column in said data which is blank, said means for writing keyboard flag bits being under the control of said comparison logic for writing keyboard flag bits for the columns in said circulating data subsequent to the column of the circulating data which is blank.

Claim 24

A key-entry system according to claim 19, said data storage unit being capable of carrying marker bits in the column positions of circulating data designating the ends and beginnings of fields of data circulating in the data storage unit, said selectively controlled means also including an AND circuit connected with a certain position of said shift register for scanning data passing through said register for the absence of a keyboard flag in the first column of a field of data circulating through the shift register and controlling said comparison logic so that the logic is not effective except for a column position in said circulating data which is blank in the particular field in which the blank is located.

Claim 25

A key-entry system according to claim 20, and further including a register connected with a column counter under clock control synchronized with the flow of data in said storage unit and being under the control of said AND circuit so that the AND circuit when satisfied causes a transfer of an address to said register from said column counter for each first column of a field of data circulating through said data storage unit, and additional comparison logic for sensing a compare between said counter and said register and also controlling said means for writing keyboard flag bits so as to write said flag bits into the data circulating through said data storage unit subsequent to the column of data for which the comparison occurred.